STULTS, BAKER COMBO THROTTLES NATIONALS

Yasmani Grandal is nine days away from completing his 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Nick Hundley is the incumbent No. 1 catcher for the moment.

In less than two weeks, Baker could be the No. 3 catcher on a team that carries two catchers.

But if these are his last days as a Padre, Baker is making the most of them.

Saturday night, the 32-year-old catcher did a superb job of calling Eric Stults’ best outing of the year, threw out two would-be base stealers and started the Padres’ game-winning rally in the eighth with a single as the Padres defeated Washington 2-1 before 33,646 at Petco Park to snap a two-game losing streak.

“John had a good game,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “He and Stultsy were in a groove. Plus, the crucial caught-stealings and the base hit in the eighth that set up our (winning) run. Bake had a good game.”

And not the first one.

Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore, Baker drove in the first two runs of an 8-4 Padres win with a single. Over his last three games, Baker is 3-for-8 on the heels of a 0-for-19 drought.

It was Baker’s leadoff single in the eighth that led to Everth Cabrera driving home Alexi Amarista to break a 1-1 tie and tip a great pitching duel between National League wins leader Jordan Zimmermann and Stults in favor of the Padres left-hander.

Baker was forced at second on Amarista’s attempted sacrifice bunt. But Amarista reached second moments later when Zimmermann’s attempted pick-off throw sailed past first baseman Adam LaRoche. Amarista raced home on Cabrera’s single, just beating the throw from center fielder Denard Span.

However, just as important as Baker’s hit was his work behind the plate and his arm.

Closer Huston Street — who gave up a game-losing, pinch-hit homer to Washington’s Chad Tracy in the 10th inning Friday night — got his 10th save with a huge assist from Baker.

Street walked Steve Lombardozzi on four pitches to open the ninth. But after Street struck out Ryan Zimmerman on a full-count fastball, Baker threw out Lombardozzi trying to steal second to complete a double play. After Street issued a second four-pitch walk to LaRoche, Ian Desmond popped out to second to end the game.

For the eight previous innings, Baker worked in total harmony with Stults, who allowed one run on four hits and two walks against five strikeouts over eight innings to improve to 4-3 on the season while lowering his ERA to 4.05.

“Bake calls a great game,” said Stults. “He knew exactly what I wanted to throw. I can’t give Bake enough credit.

“I think it’s my best one of the year,” said Stults, who didn’t allow a hit through five innings. “I had a pretty good feel for all of my pitches. I kinda feel like all year I’ve been battling with my changeup, and today was the best it’s been.”

Zimmermann entered the game with a 1.69 earned run average and through the first seven innings the only blemish against the right-hander was a home run by Yonder Alonso leading off the second inning. The homer was Alonso’s fifth of the season. Last year, he didn’t hit No. 5 until July 29. His line drive to right traveled 365 feet and landed in the back row of the short porch boxes.

Defensively, Alonso came to Stults’ rescue in the third.

After issuing a one-out walk to Kurt Suzuki, Stults fielded Zimmermann’s sacrifice bunt and threw low to first, where Jedd Gyorko was covering. The ball skipped through Gyorko’s legs, the runners winding up at second and third.

Nationals lead-off hitter Span hit a line drive back to the mound that ricocheted off Stults left leg just below the knee and into the hands of Alonso at first.

The first baseman tagged the bag then trapped Suzuki off third running across the infield to tag the catcher out as both Suzuki and Zimmermann wound up at third.

Suzuki got the Nationals first hit, a line drive over Gyorko’s head, leading off the sixth.

Zimmermann bunted the catcher to second and he scored on Lombardozzi’s two-out single to right-center to tie the game at 1-1.